Britain’s gas supply at risk this winter as Labour warned over North Sea drilling delay

LABOUR has been urged to speed up its decision on North Sea drilling to avoid affecting gas supplies this winter.

Ministers have been warned by the sector the Jackdaw gas field is an “important component” for the UK but urgently needs to be given the green light.

More than 100 projects could be kick-started if ministers change the tax regime and licensing rules, which could unlock £50billion in investment.

But the Jackdaw decision is now likely to come after the October 8 by-election with Labour battling the Green Party for Sir Keir Starmer’s old seat.

Offshore Energies UK boss David Whitehouse said: “The truth is that Jackdaw is an important component of our gas delivery for the winter period 2026-27.

“It can produce up to 6% of the gas we will need and we are now at a point in the coming weeks where without regulatory approval we are going to delay the production of that field.

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Mr Whitehouse said without the changes the “consequences are clear”.

He added: “We will continue to see the loss of jobs in the UK; we will continue to see significant, increasing imports of our energy; the country will become less resilient.”

The OEUK also warned that Europe’s gas storage levels “are now at a five-year low”.

Experts warn this could lead to sustained high European and UK’s gas prices throughout the winter.

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